Leadership Building Experince | Oparah Augustine Chidera

My name is Oparah Augustine Chidera. I am a graduate of Animal & Environmental Biology, Imo State University Owerri, Imo State Nigeria. In February 2017 right after graduation, I started my leadership building experience at CSAAEINC office at Plot 133 Ikenegbu, Layout, Owerri. I worked in the Career Building & Entrepreneurship Programs (CBEP) unit. The role offered me competitive advantage as I acquired professional skills in organizational management. It was also a plus for me to improve myself on organizational diversity.

In CBEP, I was tasked with fashioning innovative entrepreneurship programs for undergraduate, graduate and unemployed youths. In July, I was selected to represent CBEP at the Business Development & Service Providers (BSDP) training organized by Partnership Initiative for the Niger Delta (PIND) Warri Delta State. My experience at CBEP helped me grow my innovative snail farm that has become a source of income and employment to me and others. Some of the snail farms that I have set up include the Ehieze Snail Farms in Ehime Mbano L.G.A and STACC Snail Farms at the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO). I am also setting a Snail Farm in Lagos for a Catholic Parish. I am also working with CSAAEINC Food and Agriculture Team to to anchor trainings on Agribusinesses as an untapped Sector for the Nigerian economy.

In this program, we intend to train over 500 youths in simple but innovative entrepreneurial skills in Agriculture with the aim of enhancing self-reliance in them. How could I have learnt and achieved all these without the opportunity given to me to join the Emerging African Leaders Program of CSAAEINC back in 2013? The leadership building experience that I had and still having is part of the trainings offered to members of CSAAEINC’s Emerging African Leaders Program. Rather than stay home after graduation, CSAAEINC offered me the opportunity to learn at CSAAEINC’s office. This is a wonderful experience.